AMANDA'S BASKETS: CHRISTMAS DINNER & BEGINNING RESOLUTIONS (?) EARLY

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

CHRISTMAS DINNER & BEGINNING RESOLUTIONS (?) EARLY

So, we finally finished decorating the tree in time for Christmas. It's crammed full of ornaments except for the bottom section. We weren't too sure how the cats would handle it. With the exception of eating some of the green (and subsequently, throwing up) all four cats have left it alone which to me is a big surprise. But one that I will happily take anyday.

The Christmas meal was cooked both indoors and outdoors. The turkey and fixings (under the bird) was done totally indoors...

I have never done a turkey this way before but it will be my go to for baking a small turkey. It was juicy with crispy skin. Perfect combination. The potatoes and other vegetables are underneath.

The rest of the meal was done mostly on the grill. It was fairly warm, especially if you stood next to the fire pit...

...or grill...

So, the rest of the meal was shrimp and corn which you can see being cooked above. Here it is fully cooked.

Plus stuffed mushrooms with crab and cheese...

Crab cakes...

And scallops...

A feast of which we are still enjoying the leftovers today.

Today we had to run an early errand and then home for a day of football. Unfortunately, the first bowl game today was called because of lightening. The next one begins in about an hour and then there is one this evening. As a matter of fact, I will have an abundance of football through New Year's Day. A wonderful gift for those who love to watch as much as I do.

How many of you decide to start something like a journal, or new exercise routine, or anything on January first or second? I am guilty of doing this and making a big deal about it.

I picked up a few new journal books, one on gratitude and one on starting where you are to get where you want to go to (My problem is that I don't really have anywhere I want to go at this time...well, for the most part.) thinking that I would begin January 2. Then as I was looking at them, I thought to myself...why wait? Really, if you want to do something...begin when you are able.

And since I was able, I decided to begin. I think what that did was to allow me to just begin without making such a big to-do about it. To just incorporate it into my daily routine even when my daily routine was really wild and not routine at all.

Well, I'll let you know how things progress. There is one thing that I will begin on January 1st, though. It's a daily devotional activity for crafters. The Crafter's Devotional: 365 Days of Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Unlocking Your Creative Spirit. Not at all your typical religious devotional. After browsing through the book, I am excited about it.

So what are you up to for the new year? Anything exciting? I hope that you find something to stimulate your creative ventures.

And I hope all of you are having wonderful holidays...
Thanks for spending a few minutes here...
Talk with you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?